Trading Spaces, Trading Places

Returning to Austin after a three-month hiatus in Dallas has been like a breath of fresh air. It may be really hot, humid air, but it's good to be back nonetheless.

This fall I'll be balancing a healthy diet with exploring new food trucks (and visiting my old faves, of course!), so that means you'll get a balance of healthy and indulgent options from the trucks. This stricter diet is a goal of mine because I'm planning for a trip to Europe this summer! I want to be able to eat all the cheese and drink all the wine I want with a guilt free conscious. Annnd that's the last time you'll be getting a diet update from me!

Since I've been gone, not only have a few food truck lots shut down, but there've been other relocations and food trucks that have become (or at least plan to be) full blown brick and mortars:

Brick and Mortar:

Gourdough's
Prepare your pallet for the sweetness that is to be served up at Gourdough's Public House! The king of Big. Fat. Donuts. is going brick and mortar this fall, Relish Austin reports. I can't wait to see what kind of over the top cocktail recipes they come up with.

From the new Gourdough's Pub website.

Keep updated on the grand opening here.

Yumé Burger

Eater Austin reported a couple of weeks ago that our beloved Yumé Burger was closing permanently. Fans across the interwebz collectively mourned the loss of such a deliciously unique food truck.

From the YB Facebook page.

On the bright side, The Peached Tortilla & Yumé Burger may be opening as a brick and mortar restaurant. As soon as I learn more information, you'll hear about it.

East Side King

Paul Qui has been especially busy in the last year and a half, and he's not slowing down anytime soon. Qui told Eater Austin in August that he'll be opening a brick and mortar of ESK around March 2013. 

If you can't wait that long to eat some fried Brussels sprouts in the luxury of AC, then just hold out a little longer for the East Side King menu to take over the kitchen at Hole in the Wall off Guad. 

The caption says it all.

A review of ESK and more details coming soon!

Leaving Austin:

Star Co. Mobile Coffee House
The trailer is putting in a bid to move to the potential new "food trailer park" in Roundrock. Because Roundrockers want all the good Austin grub up North too.

Back in Austin:
Fresh Off the Truck 
They've been serving troops stationed in Fort Hood for the last month or so, but returned to Mueller Trailer Eats this week.

A happy customer from Ft. Hood! From FOT Facebook page.

Grab a Char-Sieu BBQ Pork Baguette this weekend and thank them for supporting our troops!
*Note: the truck is closed if it's raining.


Which brick and mortar are you most excited for? How bummed are you that Yumé Burger closed? Tell me whatcha think in the comments below!

G'Raj Mahal - Rainey Street Food Truck Review

I've been to Rainey a handful of times, but this occasion was special: my last day as an intern with the company I had been with since January, my first office happy hour and my finally turning 21 (I was the only underage intern all semester)!

After a few measly pretzels for lunch, I was ready to try a new food truck in the historic district of Austin. First we stopped off at Clive where I was comped a drink from the friendly bartender and forced to drink tequila far too early in the day. "But we're CELEBRATING" they said. Right.

The sweet Belgian beer I was sipping couldn't hold me over much longer, so three of us headed across the street to G'Raj Mahal. None of us had ever tried it and I had heard great things about the food.

Photo cred: Tracy Hunter

It was 6 p.m. on a Friday and the place was packed. I enjoyed the sheer hangings and lights that made the place feel like a little shaded vacation spot. We placed our order to-go and sat down in a few squat law chairs.

Okay, I know I said it was a Friday evening, and I even acknowledged that it was busy, but we waited 45 minutes for our 3 orders all the while watching plate after plate go out to the tables around us. If the conversation and company hadn't been so great, I would have definitely said something by the 35 minute mark.

On top of that, when we finally received our food, the hostess double charged my friend's card and asked if the other friend could just give her cash, so they didn't have to handle it. I thought this was unprofessional, especially having worked in the bar and restaurant industry since I was 15.

The food, though a little pricey for a food truck at $14 a plate, was delicious and hit the spot. I was advised against the non-cream sauces and went instead for the Chicken Korma. Cream sauce with cashews and golden raisins. I added paneer, a suggestion of the hostess, that reminded me of a slighty chewier, cube shaped mozzarella. I may be way off, but comparing Indian to Italian is what I've got to work with.

I didn't get to snag a pic, but this is close to what it looked like, with more sauce of course.
Photo cred: ERecipe

The sauce was creamy and just what I needed after a long day on an empty stomach. The Basmati rice was cooked perfectly, and the chicken was great too. Next time, I'd like to add a little spice to the dish though.

If I were a star-ratings kind of site G'Raj Mahal would rank as follows:

Ambiance 4/5 stars

Customer Service 1/5 stars

Price 3/5 stars

Food 4/5 stars

I hope the next time I go back, the one outlier will be brought up. I'll even order my food at the table if that's what it takes.

What are your opinions of good food and bad service? Is it worth it?

The mighty duck returns! - Odd Duck Farm to Trailer

Odd Duck Farm to Trailer Photo: Austin360,  by Mike Sutter of AMERICAN-STATESMAN

When I heard that Odd Duck Farm to Trailer was closing on December 10, 2011 (back before the lot of Lamar was shut down for good), I made it a point to pay a visit to the trailer that boosted Chef Bryce Gilmore into his chef stardom.

I actually had the chance to dine at Barley Swine (Gilmore's brick and mortar spot) before I went to the trailer. I knew if the trailer menu was anything like its sister restaurant, I was in for something good.

The atmosphere of the lot was like any other trailer lot in Austin: casual, friendly and homey, with a mixture of intriguing aromas in the air. But this lot also had that sad feeling of an old friend leaving town. Austinites were crowding to visit Odd Duck one last time, or for the first and only time, like myself. Entire events were set up to pay homage to this beloved trailer.

Parmesan grits garnished with a soft boiled duck egg, zucchini & mushrooms

Since the closure, Barley Swine has grown in popularity and has been ranked nationally as one of the best restaurants in America. Recently, Gilmore revealed that he will be reopening Odd Duck! This time however as a 100-seat restaurant.

What can you expect at the new place? The food will be "similar to the trailer...with lots of grilling and wood," Gilmore said in an interview with Eater Austin.

The "farm to table" concept of both Odd Duck and Barley Swine is serving 100% locally sourced, seasonal options.

I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait for this new addition to the Austin food scene!

Ms P's Electric Cock - "Peace, Love & Chicken Grease"

How many times have you driven by that glowing neon sign on Congress and thought,

"Man I really need to try Ms P's Electric Cock." 

You're right, too many times. You gotta try this place.

After a long week, my friend and I decided that it was time to reward ourselves. What better way than with down-home fried chicken? Comfort food at it's finest.

We split a 3-piece order of fried chicken and  fried pickles. I wanted to order the truffle mac & cheese, but it's now sans truffle because - wait, are you ready for this? - too many people requested it WITHOUT the truffle oil. What kind of world are we living in? We got two orders of "Wow Waffles" instead because you can't go wrong with chicken and waffles.

The atmosphere was quaint and reminded me of a summer barbecue with the picnic tables and checkered tablecloth, the hanging string lights and old wooden fence surrounding the outdoor dining area. 

3-piece chicken fried, whole pickled jalapeño, sweet roll and lot's o' honey.

The basket came with a leg, wing and tenderloin. I liked the crispy wing the most.

The 3-piece chicken for $7.50 is a little pricey on a meager college budget, but this isn't Popeyes we're talking about. The chicken is local, free range, never frozen, with no hormones or anything added that makes you squirm. The two-step brining process makes the chicken juicy and tender while the combination of the peanut oil and 12 herbs and spices gives it a distinct and original flavor.

The fry wasn't as crispy as I like, but the flavor was delicious. The pickled jalapeño added a nice kick between bites of sweet roll slathered in honey. 

Fried pickle spears. My fave.

The special of the day, the fried pickles, may have stolen the show because they were the best fried pickles I've ever add. The spears are juicy, but somehow don't affect the crispy shell or make it soggy. The (I think) chipotle mayo was the bomb.

World famous 'Wow Waffles' with powered sugar. 

Our waffles came out last because they were making a fresh batch, but they made for a nice dessert. They weren't sweet, which is what I expect of waffles (that's the way my Nana makes them). It was great though because I drowned them in the maple syrup. I may or may not have finished off the bottle.

Overall, the meal was exactly what we looking for- savory, greasy, sweet and comforting.

Fun Fact: Eat Street filmed the truck back in November and their episode is set to air June 5th at 8:30 p.m. CST. 

Check out their Facebook here.

Dock and Roll Diner

I went to Dock and Roll with a friend recently for lunch. We were driving around Soco looking for something new and out of the ordinary and weren't having much luck. I turned down a random street, happened to drive by Dock and Roll and remembered that I had just seen a post by Trailer Food Diaries on their new spot on South 1st. We parked near the guys drinking 40s and playing harmonicas (wise choice I know) and decided to check the place out. 

The trailer's cuisine is described as new and traditional American, fused with seafood, southern and tex-mex. So it's definitely something out of the ordinary, and very uniquely-Austin.

The specialty or "Maine Event" is their lobster rolls, but I wasn't in the mood for seafood. The "South Westlake" sounded awesome: chicken breast, grilled corn, Rajas (a traditional Mexican blend of sautéed onions and poblano peppers), cotija cheese (one of my faves) and their signature Greenbelt Sauce (a Tomatillo-Avocado blend) all served up a on a sub roll. Sounds amazing right? Well, they were out of chicken. That put a smaller damper in my plans, so I opted for the "Infidel Castro" ($7).  

The Infidel Castro with jalapeños and Southwest Slaw

The Infidel is "cuban rubbed and smoked pork sirloin with Dock and Roll mayo, Prosciutto di Parma, Gold Label Swiss cheese, and pickles." I added the "ree jalapeños of course. I also tried the "Southwest Slaw" ($1.75), but they were out of their signature elote, which I was told was the real tasty twist to the slaw.

The Blue Bahn-ett

My friend tried the Blue Bahn-ett ($6) --caramelized smoked pork sirloin sliced thin (to mimic pork belly I suppose), slaw and pickles--and was really happy with her choice.

Lee, the chef and one of three co-founders, felt bad about being out of stock on so many items and comped my friend and I free jalapeño macaroni and cheese poppers. What we didn't tell him was that we wanted to order those to begin with, but couldn't bring ourselves to justify buying fried macaroni and cheese. For some reason eating free junk food doesn't feel as bad as purchased junk food.

Jalapeno Mac “N” Cheese Poppers

The food was delicious and the pork had an awesome smoky flavor. The fresh jalapeños added some real kick and I loved quite liked the D&R mayo. I would've liked the toppings to be distributed a little better, one side of the dog tasted different than the other side. The slaw wasn't anything to go on about, but I don't feel I can really rate it since there was no grilled corn. The poppers were a little too greasy for me, but I guess that's to be expected. Their signature house ketchup was SO GOOD though. I was dipping my leftover hotdog bun in the sauce because I liked it so much.

I would definitely recommend this place- the food was great, prices are reasonable and the guys that run and own the airstream are super friendly. They're in the Elizabeth Street Cafe Lot and open Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Closed Sunday, sorry all you brunch goers. Follow em on Twitter or Like them on Facebook if you're already a fan!

Leave a comment below of your favorite menu item or what you thought of the Maine Event! Or if you have any other seafood recommendations in Austin, please let me know, because this picky seafood lover would love a new place to try!

Did you say pie-ro-gee? - Hill Country Pierogi Truck

I learned about the Hill Country Pierogi trailer from my roommate last fall. She really wanted to visit the new trailer and told me I should come with, so I could tell you wonderful people all about it.

Delicious new food? I’m there, but what the heck are pierogi?

The roomz described pierogi as a traditional Polish food, similar to ravioli, but in a half-moon shape, filled with potato and cheese and pan-fried in butter.

Potatoes, cheese, butter. It sounded like a Paula Deen dish all wrapped in a noodle- let's go.

A week or so later I saw that Hill Country Pierogi was having a Twitter contest for fans to send in pictures of the Austin skyline in exchange for free pierogi. Challenge accepted.

I sent in this pic I found on an 'ode to Austin' blogpost and won. Free food's always good.

The Austin version of Aurora Borealis.

Last weekend I finally went to redeem my prize.

Hill Country Pierogi truck off East 11th & Juniper

Not only did Brit & Rob remember my and my roommates names from months ago, but they were so incredibly nice and gave me plenty of time to flip flop between The Chorizo or the Traditional. The Texan in me went for The Chorizo. The roomie ordered The Bacon. And we threw in an order of The Apple Pie for good measure.

The Chorizo

These little guys smelled AMAZING. It was one of those times where you knew the food was going to be way too hot, but it was worth burning the roof of your mouth. The filling , a combination of ground chorizo, black beans, sautéed onions, chipotle and mashed potato, genius. The diced jalapeños and chipotle sour cream were great for me because I like spice. But the regular side of sour cream will bring down the heat if you want a milder flavor. 

I tried one of the bacon pierogies and liked it as much as mine, though it had a completely different flavor.

 

The Bacon

The caramelized onion added a sweetness to the savory cracked black peppercorn bacon and mashed potatoes. The peppercorn bacon crumble on top was a nice vittle between bites. 

After three delish dumplings I knew I had to stop so I could save room for The Apple Pie. 

The Apple Pie with SWEETENED WHIPPED MASCARPONE

Brit, Hill Country Pierogi co-founder and chef extraordinaire, brought out the apple pie and our mouths fell open. She made sure we knew that the heavenly little dollop of cream was not "just" butter, but homemade sweetened mascarpone cream. 

The apple pie filling is homemade and the whole pierogi is topped with dulce de leche drizzle and powdered sugar. The combination of the buttery dumpling with the deep-fried breading was a little heavy for me, but my favorite part of the dessert was the mascarpone. By the end I was snagging bites of it with a spoon. (Brit admitted she does this too which made me feel more normal.)

An order of 5 homemade pierogi is $7 which isn't a bad deal. Considering you'll probably take a couple home (or eat them in the car on the way back), it's almost two meals. The menu has a wide variety of choices and some vegetarian options as well.

The next time I go back I want to try the Traditional or the Kielbasa (Polish sausage) and The Blueberry for dessert. Yes, I've already planned my entire order.

On a side note, I just want to commend Brit and Rob on how quickly they've grown their business and settled in to the Austin food truck community. Their food is amazing, but they're also one of the most resourceful food truck operations I've seen. They ship, deliver and sell bulk quantities of their products and their menu is featured at the Longbranch Inn. 

You can read about Rob and Brit's full adventure from their "corporate" lives in New York to running their small business in Austin, and keep up-to-date on the trailer, on their blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

If you visit the trailer and try The Blueberry before I get a chance to, leave me a comment and tell me all about it!

Na zdrowie!

Gypsy Picnic 2011

Bringin' the gypsy to the picnic

If you got to experience Gypsy Picnic this year, yay! I hope you ate your fill of the variety of trailer food and enjoyed the amazing weather. If you went to last year’s Gypsy Picnic and tried it out again this year, WASN’T IT 50,000X BETTER?

The harsh, but true criticism of the first-ever Gypsy Picnic in 2010 was heeded and the attendees benefitted. I was thoroughly impressed by C3’s improvements to the festival: the area blocked off at Auditorium shores seemed twice as big as last year, the number of trucks increased and the vendors were more prepared overall.

This year I had the chance to work behind-the-scenes at the festival at The Peached Tortilla. If you’ve read my posts (and there isn’t an overabundance of them...yet) you should know that I’m madly in love with the Banh Mi taco and all other things ‘peached.’ So basically I felt like I was getting to work backstage on the set of one of my favorite TV shows!

"I'm a peach head!"

Being on the inside of the truck – or in Gypsy Picnic’s case, on the other side of the table – was such an amazing experience! I got to talk to so many cool people and tell hundreds of hungry folks that they should buy one of my favorite foods in Austin. And man, were we churning out some tacos!

I parted ways with the peached crew around 2 p.m., but not before having a banh mi taco, BBQ brisket taco and szechwan veggie taco. I have no shame. The Szechwan veggie was new to me and caught me off guard with how spicy it was. The eggplant, red bell pepper and onions blended well with the black bean garlic sauce, tofu and pickled daikon slaw. I don’t think anything will top the banh mi taco for me though.

After happily stuffing my face, I wandered out to the center of the park to try to decide where I wanted to go with my $20 in ‘research funds.’

My first stop was Short Bus Subs because I saw on Twitter that it was one of their peeps' birthday and I have never been out to visit the trailer at Mueller Park. Eric, the birthday boy and one of the three co-owners and brothers who runs the bus, traded my birthday wish for a sub!

The Short Bus

I sampled The Hot Teacher, a veggie sub with roasted portabella mushroom, red pepper, sun-dried tomato pesto, mozzarella, cheddar and fresh sun dried tomatoes. I was honestly surprised with how good the sub was. I mean subs are subs, but I think it was the sun-dried tomato pesto and freshly baked from scratch bread that made it.

My second stop was East Side King, the fan favorite winner. A hippy-biker type recommended the Thai Chicken Karaage, but I opted for the Fried Brussels Sprout Salad. It was a unique combo of fried brussels sprouts, sweet and spicy sauce, shredded cabbage, alfalfa sprouts, basil, cilantro, mint, onion and jalapeño. The brussels sprouts were flavorful and not deep fried, just crispy enough. I’m not sure if it was the sweet and spicy sauce or the mint in the dish, but something triggered a coughing fit. I had to give up on the rest of the salad which was unfortunate because I really liked it!

East Side King
Left Thai Chicken Karaage, Right Fried Brussels Sprout Salad

I met up with some friends and we made our way over to Tenderland for the “battered” (aka deep fried) pork tenderloin sandwich. It was HUGE! I snagged a couple of bites of my friend’s sandwich and it was good, but a little too much fried sandwich for me. I think if they made the sandwich in a smaller portion it’d be better, but it’s not something I would seek out to buy.

Gypsy Michelle with her Austin-made craft beer and tenderloin sandwich.

I was getting full, but I had few more stops on my list. I powered through to give you more, fellow food truck lovers. I had planned on trying Ju Ju’s Kaboose, a Cajun/traditional Louisianan food trailer that I learned about for the first time in the Gypsy Picnic lineup. I loved the roving musicians that happened to be walking by as were waiting in line at Ju Ju’s, especially because they had a brass band sound that went along with the Cajun cuisine.

The roving jazz band!

Having roots in New Orleans I was really looking forward to trying the Crawfish Cornbread served up by Ju Ju herself…I was so disappointed. The cornbread was served in a cupcake sleeve with a spoon. You needed the spoon because it was so mushy you couldn’t eat it like normal crumbly corn bread. It lacked flavor overall and left me wishing I had a bottle of Crystal hot sauce to pour all over it. The Pork Poboy did look like the real thing (compared to some so-called poboys I've seen in Austin), but I was too full and also didn’t want to shell out $8 to try the foot long sub.

Ju Ju's Kaboose
Crawfish Cornbread

My last two samples before dessert were bites of each slice from Spartan Pizza. The Zeus, made with roasted garlic olive oil (something I don’t think I’ve ever tried, but loved!), bacon, spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella, was delicious, but was a little overtaken by the bacon. It seemed to be their rendition of a Margarita pizza. I really liked The Spartan with tomato sauce, green bell pepper, white onion, lots of fresh garlic and parmesan, and topped with red pepper flakes. People at the picnic had said that Spartan Pizza was better than Homeslice Pizza which is pretty much the only place that can get me out of the house for a pie. Though Spartan definitely gave 'em a run for their money, I think Homeslice still has a special place on my palette.

Van kissing eating a slice of The Zeus.

I ended on a high note with the Frozen Hot Chocolate from Holy Cacao. Holy chocolate was that shake amazing. I had planned on sharing it with a friend to try to compensate for all the calories I’d already consumed, but once I tasted that sucker I became very greedy. It was great when you were drinking it and at the end of each sip there was a punch of chocolate that stayed with you. Everyone I was with either bought or shared one after tasting it. Yeah, it was good.

Leah and I fighting over Holy Cacao's Frozen Hot Chocolate.

Overall, this Gypsy Picnic was a 500% improvement from last year. Lines were kept to three minutes or less at most spots, hardly anyone sold out before 5 p.m. and the $3 samples at every trailer made it easy to try a wide variety. AND I got to meet Tiffany Harelik of Trailer Food Diaries who I consider to be a total local celebrity.

Tiffany Harelik, Trailer Food Diaries author and co-creator of Gypsy Picnic and me squinting happily.

This food truck foodie left feeling happy, full and excited for next year's picnic.

Which trailer was your favorite? Did you try one of the dishes I did? Do you agree or disagree with my reviews? Was there something I missed that I need to hunt down around Austin? Leave a comment below and share your Gypsy Picnic experience with me!

"We don't say 'fried,' we say deep sauté." - The Mighty Cone

Hello fellow food-lovers!

I hope you enjoyed the amazing weather we had here in Austin this weekend as much as I did!
In my last post I listed off a few of my favorite ACL food-truck favorites, including The Mighty Cone.

(Photo by Rachael Sperling)

This wonderful food trailer not only has a spot at the festival, but also has a main location in the trailer park eatery off South Congress. I tried to share the gift of fried-goodness-in-a-cone with my mom and little brother who visited this weekend, but The Mighty Cone was closed! Word to the wise- they’re open 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Tues-Sat. AKA not on Sunday afternoon with your family.

As a result of my poor timing, this week’s review is about a week and a half old, but good fried food is good fried food everyday of the week. Don’t question this philosophy.

Across the street from the delicious South Congress Café and just down the block from the ever-popular Electric Ladyland, The Mighty Cone has one of the best food-trailer locations on SoCo.

The stand opened just over a year ago and quickly gained popularity among South Congress food goers. The idea of creating the trailer stemmed from the high demand for the “Hot ‘n’ Crunchy” cones after their introduction to Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2002.

Their menu is not for the healthy-minded as the phrase informs below the service window: “We don’t say fried, we say deep sauté.” The menu, inspired by popular recipes and items from The Mighty Cone’s sister-restaurant, Hudson’s on the Bend, includes a variety of “Hot ‘n Crunchy” cones, shakes, organic all-veggie sliders and Hudson’s gourmet fries. I have yet to try the “Death by Chocolate Brownie,” but I don’t see how anything with such an angelic name could not be delightful.

(Photo by Rachael Sperling)

I’ve tried to make myself try one of the sliders with Hudson’s secret ancho sauce or the “Hudson’s Cone Dog” made with grass-fed venison (this is one lean cone dog!), but I cannot pull myself away from the deliciousness of the “Chicken-Avocado Cone.”

If you can tell me a better batter for crusting your chicken than with sesame seeds, almonds, arbol chili flakes, sea salt, sugar and corn flakes, then I may lessen my allegiance to the fried chicken of The Mighty Cone. But, let’s face facts: this will probably never happen!

The prices are reasonable with the most expensive item topping out at $7, so it’s an ideal place for a cheap dinner on the go.

If you haven’t tried The Mighty Cone yet get out there and eat some cone deliciousness!

Leave a comment of your favorite The Mighty Cone dish (especially if you’ve had the “Death by Chocolate Brownie”)! Let me know if there’s any food-trailer you recommend.

You can visit The Mighty Cone website for more information and a full menu.

If you don’t trust me, the two blog posts below have their reviews of The Might Cone.
http://gardenandgun.com/newsletter/street-food-gourmet
http://austin.eater.com/tags/the-mighty-cone

Austin = Foodie Paradise

Fall is here and in Austin this means perfect weather (or a perfect excuse) to dine out. For many people, Austin is known for its extensive musical talent, diverse population, and multitude of cuisines and local eateries. Since I moved here for school in August 2009, the ridiculous amount of restaurants all over Austin have continued to fill my belly and satisfy the little foodie in me.

The token Austin food-trucks and trailers have been most kind to my wallet and palate. The range of locations from North, Central and South Austin helped pull me out of my tiny 'campus bubble' that many students get sucked into. As such, I feel I owe a "thank you" to the food-trucks and trailers of Austin which comes in the form of this blog.

My posts will range from reviews and experiences of trailers I've visited, interesting news or updates of the Austin food-truck world, and any other food-trucky things I think you should know. Now is the time to get excited!

The thing that's on my mind right now is the afterglow of Austin City Limits Music Festival. If you've never been to ACL, you may be asking what it has to do with food-trucks, so I will clue you in.

The annual three-day festival is a staple of Austin's musical reputation where thousands of locals and out-of-towners attend for up to 12 hours a day. Twelve-hour days can make anyone hungry and this is where the food-trucks come into play.

Some of the most popular restaurants in town set-up seasonal food-trailers alongside the year-round trucks in the Austin Eats Food Court. A few of my personal favorites include Amy's Ice Creams, Children of the Kettle Corn, Guero's, Mighty Cone, and Torchy's Tacos.

This year I sampled the Galaxy Cafe's grilled chicken chipotle wrap and the cashier coolly let me add steamed veggies for no additional cost! It was the perfect lunch if you're trying to eat on the lighter side and was one of the cheapest stands there ($5 for a wrap and $1 for a bag of Sunchips).

I bought a surprisingly huge bag of kettle corn from Children of the Kettle Corn for $5. It was the perfect sweet snack to munch on while I planted myself in the same spot for four hours. I actually ended up giving almost half the bag away because it was so addicting that I was going to eat back all the calories I burned from my morning run. My neighbors were grateful, so I think it's safe to say the kettle corn was a hit!

Although the prices are a few dollars higher at ACL, I wouldn't trade the local eats of the food-trailers for the cheaper 'standard' festival fare of corndogs and burgers. The food-trailers' presence at events like ACL allow Austin natives to grab their favorite local bites, and out-of-towners to sample some of the best eateries!


Check back for more next Wednesday on the funky fresh food-trucks of Austin!

• For a complete list of the 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival food vendors click here.
• Austin American-Statesman writer and fellow foodie, Addie Broyles, recorded her "roadmap" of food adventures in her blog Relish Austin. (She tried the Galaxy Cafe wrap too!)
• Different festival, more food-truck love on Brand X Daily. "Good Eats at SXSW:Food Trucks Rule Austin"

Have something to say? I'm open to comments and/or questions.

Leave a comment about your favorite food-trailer at ACL and/or what you ate at the festival this year or in previous years, so I can get some recommendations!